In Memoriam

Memories in honor of the late Coyle Professor Ernest Morrell.

It’s my honor to offer these comments in honor of our late colleague Ernest Morrell who held the position of Coyle Professor of Literacy Education and professor of English and Africana Studies. I was Department Chair when the opportunity first arose to initiate discussions with Professor Morrell, then a member of Columbia University’s faculty, about coming to the University of Notre Dame. I was surprised, but Morrell responded yes on each occasion I wondered whether this was something he genuinely wished to pursue. Over time I came to understand his interest in combining his engagement with Literacy Studies, Africana Studies, his commitment to Catholicism and helping Notre Dame understand the dramatic growth in Catholicism in Africa. Morrell was important in helping the University’s leadership look to Africa and other parts of the world where its growth was greatest.

Morrell was an active faculty member in Africana Studies and English beginning in 2017 and became Associate Dean in the College of Arts & Letters for the humanities and faculty development. His Deanship role included working with Mark Sanders and Africana Studies in helping the Department’s growth and development. Additionally, he helped in the establishment of the Initiative on Race and Reconciliation. He also directed the Center for Literacy Education in the Institute for Educational Initiatives. In the years he was at Notre Dame he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2024, to the National Academy of Education and was elected a fellow of the American Educational Research Association.

As Ernest’s department chair during some of his first years at Notre Dame, I was astonished at the volume of work he was capable of producing, whether or not he was ill with cancer. He “is the author of more than 100 articles, research briefs and book chapters, and he wrote or edited 17 scholarly books…” (Weinhold 2026). He co-authored, Key Works in English Education, Volume 1: Shaping a Discipline, forthcoming November 2026 with former doctoral students who are now well established in the field and close friends. Ernest left a family including his wife, Jodene Morrell, his intellectual collaborator, as well as associate director of the Notre Dame Center for Literacy Education and their three sons, Skip, Antonio and Tripp, who accompanied him as he left this world on February 6, 2026. A full description of Professor Morrell’s incredible intellectual, pedagogical, family and administrative lives is found on the College’s website here https://africana.nd.edu/news/in-memoriam-ernest-morrell-the-coyle-professor-of-literacy-education-and-professor-of-english-and-africana-studies-2/

Dianne Pinderhughes, Interim Chair August 18, 2026